Pohmer

April 2022

Your Brand, Your Identity

One of my all-time favorite authors was Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr. Seuss; I avidly read his books as a young reader, then read them to my five younger siblings, my own... more »

March 2022

Darwinism Versus 2022

One of the philosophies that the noted English naturalist Charles Darwin was known for was “the survival of the fittest.” Most people are familiar with this notion as it applies to natural evolution; the strongest... more »

February 2022

It Takes People, People!

I’ve mentioned in past columns that what has the biggest impact on your customers’ experience and your brand image isn’t your advertising and marketing, your product, your displays or your pricing; it’s the lowest-paid members... more »

January 2022

Who’s Driving Your Bus?

Who’s driving your bus? It’s a fairly straightforward question that most of you would answer, ‘I am!” After all, it’s your store and you get to set the rules, you get to select the merchandise... more »

November/December 2021

Creating a ‘Wow’ Experience for Your Customers

Recently I was driving with my 5-year-old grandson down to a Minnesota state park, where they have free-roaming bison you can sometimes see from an unprotected road running through the park. He’d been talking about... more »

September/October 2021

It’s All About Making Choices

The fall months are filled with both reflection on what transpired in the peak months of last spring and early fall, and looking forward with anticipation as we begin thinking about 2022. And it’s difficult... more »

August 2021

Keeping Your Brand Fresh

I recently came across a fairly succinct definition of a brand: “The intangible sum of a retailer or product’s attributes: its name, packaging and price positioning, its history, its reputation, and the way it’s advertised.”... more »

July 2021

My Money Is on You

As I write this column a few weeks post-Mother’s Day, the spring results have ranged from uninspired to good to outstanding, depending on your varied expectations and perceptions as compared to 2020. To help put... more »

June 2021

Is Zookeeper Part of Your Job Description?

I had a sign that read, “My Office is Not a Zoo!” mounted by the entrance to my office when I worked for many years in retail buying, merchandising and marketing. Most people thought this... more »

May 2021

It’s More Than Just Semantics…

In my 26 years of working in senior positions in retail for both big box and smaller entrepreneurial companies, and then 25 years of helping advise companies and organizations as a consultant (yes, I really... more »

April 2021

What Is Your Secret Sauce?

As you are about to embark on the most challenging months of your spring selling season, I tried to come up with something motivating and inspiring that could help cheer you on and I stumbled... more »

March 2021

What Are You Marketing?

As I was looking through the ads in Sunday’s paper (in January — too early for lawn and garden ads in the Minneapolis market), it got me thinking about a dilemma that always mystified me... more »